Gogyou Chikara
by sparrowhawk51
Summary: The Uchiha massacre at the hands of Uchiha Shisui led to Uchiha Itachi becoming a jounin sensei. With the Kyuubi container, the Hyuuga prodigy, and a taijutsu specialist as just three members of his team, life in Konoha is about to change forever.
1. Chapter 1

**If Itachi wasn't the one to kill the Uchihas, and if Naruto graduated a year early, just how different would Konoha be? Features Itachi in spandex, Cat!Naruto, and Lee with a Mohican.**

**AN:** Woo, this is the first time I have actually had the patience to type up a story. Anyway, enjoy. (Note: This is only rated T for the occasional gruesome scene. I like writing blood!)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, now matter how many times I tell my parents that I have Iruka locked up in my cupboard.

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CHAPTER ONE

Itachi woke with a start. His head was pounding and his sheets were soaked with sweat. He'd had _that _dream again, although, it was more of a nightmare than anything else. He'd been having the same nightmare every night for three years. He was 17 now.

_He had just returned from a mission as newly promoted ANBU Captain, Weasel, when he stumbled across his otouto practicing with shuriken in the forest. After a few moments helping Sasuke, they both headed towards the Uchiha complex, stopping to buy some celebratory dango on the way. _

_But when they reached the gates of the complex, all thoughts of celebrating where thrown out of their heads. There were no guards and one of the large gates had a dent in it. There was something wrong. _

_"Nii-san," Sasuke whimpered, tugging on his shirt sleeve, "What's going on?" _

_It was quiet. Too quiet. _

_Itachi quickly pulled Sasuke to the closest wall. _

_"Sasuke. Something's happened here. It's not safe for you." Sasuke pouted but nodded at the same time. "I need you to get help, understand? Find anybody you can. I need the ANBU in here. Now go!" _

_With a quick glance at his brother's retreating back, Itachi looked around the corner of the building he was behind. He was grateful he had sent Sasuke away. The younger boy wouldn't have been able to handle all the blood. _

_At least fifty members of the police squad were lying dead in the middle of the alleyway. Among them were women and children, whom the police had obviously been trying to protect. On second thought, Itachi realised that there were also bodies in the doorways of houses, drowned in their own blood, limbs twisted at gruesome angles. Creating a quick Kage Bunshin for back up, he began to pick his way through the bloodstained complex. _

_As he advanced through the streets, more and more faces stared up at him, looks of shock and fear carved permanently into their lifeless eyes. Whoever had done this was about to feel the wrath of the Uchiha's latest prodigy as he realised he was yet to see his parents amongst the dead. _

_Itachi kept a firm grip on the handle of his katana as he raced through the streets towards his home, stumbling through the bodies littered on the ground. The stillness of the air bothered him, so much so that he was tempted to scream just to break the silence. Instead he forced himself to run faster, hoping against hopes that the killer hadn't reached his parents yet. _

_However, as soon as he noticed the odd angle the door was hanging at he realised he was too late. There was a small flickering light in the room beyond and he was quick enough to get out of the way before the wall exploded. _

_With a grunt of frustration, Itachi wriggled out from beneath a portion of the charred wooden door and headed into the house. The old tatami mats made no sound as he crept through the deserted rooms. _

Please let them be alive. Please let them be alive.

_There was a muffled scream from a room at the other end of the corridor, and he once again broke into a sprint. Breaking the door down with a forceful kick, he wished he hadn't as the contents of his stomach, the measly three dango sticks he'd eaten a few hours before, emptied onto the floor. _

_Once again, he was glad that his otouto had not witnessed this, as even his hard ANBU mind was beginning to shatter. Again he heard the stifled scream, and he realised that what he had originally thought to be the mutilated corpse of his mother was still alive. _

_"Kaasan!" _

_He wiped the vomit form his chin and leapt forward. A quick slash with a kunai and the rope around her neck was cut, causing her to fall. Itachi stumbled slightly as he caught her, but he immediately noticed the slashes on her back and the gaping hole in her chest. _

_"I-Itachi-kun," He could feel tears gathering in his red tinted eyes as she coughed several times, blood staining her lips. "K-Keep Sasuke-kun s-safe." She coughed again, only this time, the blood kept coming, and Itachi knew his mother wouldn't last long. _

_"Just hold on, Kaasan, I'll get you out of here." He was about to scoop her up into his arms again when he felt her light grip on his wrist. _

_"Ie. You have t-to stop him, Ita-" As her last breath escaped her, her nimble frame became a dead weight in Itachi's arms. He kissed her forehead gently before laying her on the ground and drawing his katana. _

_His mother had mentioned a 'him' and the only Uchiha left, other than his father, was Uchiha Shisui. Despite the reports of Shisui committing suicide a few days before, Itachi knew the inner workings of Shisui's mind inside out. He was far too proud to commit such a disgracing act, and he was far too stubborn to be brought down by life. _

_As if to confirm his thoughts, there was a loud cry of pain from the room beyond._ Tousan! Shisui you bastard!

_Now with a purpose, he strode forward to the door linking his parent's rooms, and slid it open quietly. The only sound was that of the steady drip of blood on the end of Shisui's katana. _

_Itachi recognised his silhouette as soon as he entered the room. And it was that figure which he would see every time he closed his eyes for years to come. Uchiha Shisui stood in the centre of the room, katana in one hand, the severed head of Uchiha Fugaku in the other. _

_Once again Itachi felt compelled to throw up, but when he caught sight of Shisui's Sharingan he jumped forward, katana raised in an attempt to reach the one he had respected as an older brother. Shisui merely laughed and knocked the blade out of his hands. Before he hit the ground, Shisui kicked him in the ribs and sent him flying into the wall opposite. _

Gomen, Kaasan. I couldn't save him.

_"Why, Shisui? Why would you do this to our clan?" _

_Shisui dropped Fugaku's head and chuckled. "Why, Itachi-_chan_? You want to know _why_?" He tightened the grip on his katana. "You've seen it, haven't you, Itachi? The room under the seventh tatami mat in the Nakano Shrine? I know you've read the scroll. We both know what the Uchiha clan really is." _

_"That's still no reason to kill everyone!" _

_"It needed to be done! Who knows what might have happened if the elders were left to continue with their plans?! Don't try to convince yourself that you don't agree with me." Shisui exclaimed. "You and I are the same, Itachi. It's a shame it had to come to this." He raised the katana above his head. "If we ever meet again, you'll thank me for thi-!" _

_For a few moments, neither Itachi nor Shisui knew what was going on, but when his eyes focused on the blade protruding form Shisui's chest, Itachi almost cried with relief. Shisui, in comparison, paled as he turned from the Itachi on the floor to the Itachi holding the offending katana. A few moments later, the second Itachi disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Shisui realised his mistake. _

_He could feel his own blood pouring out of his chest even as he laughed. "A Kage Bunshin, huh?" _

_As Shisui fell to the ground, Konoha's top ninja arrived, albeit too late to stop anything. One ANBU member, known to his colleagues as Red Raven, entered Uchiha Fugaku's private rooms only to find said shinobi decapitated, the earlier presumed dead Uchiha Shisui with a katana through his heart, and a nearly unconscious Uchiha Itachi collapsed on the floor, sporting a new development in his Sharingan. _

Itachi stared at his reflection in the mirror as he activated his Sharingan. Every day he would walk into the bathroom to stare at his twin in the hopes that everything had been a nasty dream. And every day he was faced with the same eyes, the unmistakable Mangekyou Sharingan.

_Shisui, you were right. One day I might thank you._

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**AN:** Okay, first chapter done. Please review and tell me what you think. Thanks. Sparrowhawk 


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Uzumaki Naruto knew that today was his lucky day. Even though he had tried to pass the test for the past few years, he had a good feeling about this time. Today was the day he would pass the genin test a year early.

At the end of every school year, the top children in the class were given the choice to attempt the genin exam. Although Naruto himself was not one of those top pupils, his teacher, Umino Iruka, let him have a go, simply to show him that he was not yet ready.

But today, Naruto would show everyone how powerful he was.

After a quick shower, he put on his usual orange outfit and headed to Ichiraku's for a celebration breakfast.

Ten minutes later, as he was eating his fifth bowl of miso ramen, he began to think about the upcoming test. He had been refining his skills over the past few weeks, and he only hoped they would be enough to get him through.

Every year the exam was the same, a short test in four areas of shinobi arts: ninjutsu, taijutsu, kunai and shuriken arts, and strategy. Luckily for Naruto, even though the test was harder, the participating academy students only had to pass three out of the four areas.

The taijutsu test was simple, and he had passed it twice before. All he had to do was lay ten hits on the examiner. Although it sounded rather easy, the examiner was a chuunin, and therefore had more experience than the potential genin.

Naruto however had no trouble with this test and he wasn't worried about it in the least. The second test, the shuriken test was slightly harder for him. He had a naturally bad aim, which never helped with those sorts of tests, and that was why he had been practicing every day for the past year. After accidentally come upon his class' best student, Uchiha Sasuke, practicing in the forest, Naruto had been putting himself through some of the exercises he had seen the young Uchiha do and he had improved greatly because of it. (Not that he would ever tell Sasuke that.)

Digging the correct change out of his pocket, he paid for his nine bowls of ramen and headed off for the academy. The thing he was most worried about in the upcoming exam was the ninjutsu test. Strategy was never his best subject, and in fact, he failed almost all of his written exams. But that had never really bothered him and he had simply ignored trying to up his intellect.

His ninjutsu skills however were what he had worked most on. All that was required for the test was to produce a perfect henge and at least three bunshins. Unfortunately for Naruto, those were his worst skills. Henge he could perform well enough to get him through, but if inspected closely with a kekkai genkai like the Sharingan or Byakugan he would be in a bit of trouble. It was bunshin though that bothered him.

Every time he attempted the technique his clones came out mutilated and useless. Although he could now create four distinct clones, they were all laughable and he knew they wouldn't be enough to pass the exam.

That was why he had gone to see the Hokage. He had explained the problem to the old man, more out of frustration than anything, and he was shocked when the old man told him he knew what was going wrong.

According to the Sandaime, he had much more chakra than anyone else his age, and the clones he created couldn't handle all the chakra. With this under his belt, Naruto asked if there were any other clone techniques that were able to handle such a large amount of chakra.

And that was how he had learnt Kage Bunshin. Old man Hokage had spent merely five minutes talking him through the process before he was able to create three clones. And three clones were all he needed to pass the ninjutsu test.

Due to his musings, Naruto was ten minutes late for the start of class. Even though the door didn't make a sound as he closed it behind him, the fact that everybody's attention had been at the front of the class, his quiet entrance didn't go as planned.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto flinched as Iruka yelled at him. "Gomen, sensei. I was busy having breakfast to celebrate my last day in the academy!"

Several people in the class laughed, which made him scowl in response. Iruka's face softened as he looked down at his favourite pupil.

"Whatever you say, Naruto. Just sit down." Naruto smiled and bounded up to his seat at the back of the room. Iruka turned back to the class and continued his speech. "As I was saying, today is an opportunity for some of you to graduate early. There are only four positions in this year's test, so we won't be able to test all of you." He looked specifically at Naruto. "Also, we will only be able to pass one of you. As a result, I don't want any of you who don't have enough skills to get upset if you don't pass. Please don't enter if you don't think you have enough skill, or if you think you still have more to learn."

With that, Iruka picked up the clipboard from his desk and continued. "Please come down to the front if you are considering taking the test."

Naruto jumped up out of his seat and bounded to the front of the class, followed by Uchiha Sasuke and Inuzuka Kiba. Iruka frowned slightly, having hoped that Naruto would get the hint, but he carried on anyway. "Is there no one else?"

Nobody moved so he led the three boys out of the room and into the testing area. There were two other chuunin there and Naruto recognised one of them as the chuunin who had tested him the year before.

"Now," Iruka began, "There are four stages to this exam, and you must pass three out of the four to have any chance of passing. The four stages are taijutsu, ninjutsu, projectile techniques, and strategy. You will take your tests with one of these chuunin, and you will be with them for the best part of the morning. Understood?"

The three of them nodded and Iruka continued. "Sasuke, you will go with Satari-san, and Kiba, you will go with Kagoma-san." The other chuunins walked away, Kiba and Sasuke following them. Iruka turned to the blonde boy in front of him.

"So, Naruto. Looks you're with me!"

:0:0:

Closing his eyes, he sighed as the world went into the friendly black that he was used to. Gripping the handle of the kunai he was meant to be using, Naruto listened carefully to his surroundings.

A twitch to his left and he let loose a kunai. Iruka was pleasantly pleased to see the kunai embed itself in the bull's eye of the target he had just thrown.

Moving targets were what Naruto had specifically asked for, and although a strange request, Iruka was willing to comply. And he was glad he did. The blonde was much more at home with moving targets than stationary ones, and his advancement to the next level was looking more possible than Iruka had originally thought.

Yet another kunai hit the centre, so Iruka decided to throw two at the same time. But again, Naruto hit the bull's eye, the same for the next go, and Iruka was soon out of targets.

"Well done, Naruto. It looks like you've passed this stage."

Naruto broke into a wide grin and opened his eyes. Iruka smiled at him and got into a loose taijutsu style. Naruto took this as his cue to commence the next stage, so he too dropped into a stance before charging his sensei.

While he was busy dodging Naruto's attacks, Iruka contemplated how much Naruto had improved. Although his first test, the strategy test had been abysmal, the boy had managed to hold out for 5 minutes more than he had in their last game of Go. Although that wasn't spectacular, and it was painfully obvious that Naruto hadn't even bothered to try and improve his IQ, Iruka still noticed it.

His improvement with his kunai and shuriken, and now his taijutsu, was more noticeable however, and the blonde had visibly been practicing. Dodging a kick to the head, Iruka was surprised when he felt a punch connect with his stomach.

Naruto was not one to miss an opportunity, and he followed up the punch with a two more and a kick to Iruka's leg.

'That's four to me.' He thought proudly, bouncing off a wall so he could get a better shot. 'Only six more to go.'

Iruka dodged Naruto's next punch and went into a roll as the blonde prepared a kick. What he didn't expect was for him to anticipate the roll and run behind him, at the same time taking two more hits.

'I better start taking him more seriously.' Iruka thought. Naruto was his most surprising student, and the determination he showed was rather compelling. He ducked under yet another wild punch before bringing his arm up to block the next kick.

A few moments later though, and it was all over. Naruto lay at the foot of a tree, rather exhausted but pleased that he had won. Iruka was nursing a sore arm and a stitch in his side.

Naruto had finished the stage with an impressive scissor kick to Iruka's left arm, catching him unawares long enough to get in a good punch to the gut. As soon as his ten hits were up, he broke into a massive grin before falling unceremoniously onto the ground in a tired heap.

Meanwhile, the Hokage was sitting in his office, contemplating the new genin teams. Earlier that morning, that year's academy leavers had taken the genin exam, with over twenty-seven passing. Hyuuga Neji had been named Rookie of the Year, and now they were all looking forward to being assigned teams.

The only problems were the three genin hopefuls from the year below. Inuzuka Kiba had never come across as a particular hopeful, and the fact that he had already failed two of the stages put him out of favour for an early promotion.

Uchiha Sasuke had performed well in all three of his tests, and Sarutobi had no doubt he would do well in the fourth. It was Uzumaki Naruto that was giving him problems.

Although his intelligence was nothing to be proud of, Naruto was not an idiot, as was obvious from the way he handled his second two stages. As he watched the fourth and final stage commence, Sarutobi took a long puff of his pipe before writing one more name on the paper in front of him.

:0:0:

"Now, Naruto, you know what comes next. I need three bunshins. Understood?"

"Um… Iruka-sensei. I can't do bunshins."

"Well then, I'm sorry Naruto. We can't continue this test."

"Wait," Iruka paused. "I said I can't do bunshins. Hokage-jiisan taught me something else."

"Something else?"

"Hai. Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

There were several puffs of smoke and then there were six Narutos. Iruka blinked a few times before he broke out into a large grin. "I don't think I need to see your henge." The Narutos stared as he pulled out a forehead protector. "Congratulations, Naruto. I didn't think you could do it!"

Iruka laughed at Naruto's before the blonde released the jutsu. He tackled the smiling chuunin and then ran around the room with his new forehead protector.

* * *

**AN:** I don't know if I made Naruto too powerful. I don't think I did. I just wanted to make it seem like he knew what he was doing. Please review and tell me how I did. Thanks!

Bunshin - Clone

Kage Bunshin - Shadow Clone


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"Now, Itachi. I appreciate you taking on this role. Normally, I wouldn't have asked you, but under the circumstances…"

"I understand, Hokage-sama. It was my choice anyway."

Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath and relaxed slightly into his chair. The Sandaime Hokage lit his pipe and they sat silently for a few moments before he continued.

"You will be in charge of Team 4, which will be in conjunction with Team 3. There are an odd number of genin this year, so two of the teams have been chosen to combine."

"Understood."

"You are to meet with your two teams at three o'clock this afternoon. Here are their files."

Itachi took the files with a small nod before disappearing in a whirl of leaves. As he glanced through them on the way to the dango store, he caught sight of three particular names.

'Well,' he thought 'At least my first genin team will be an interesting one.'

:0:0:

Naruto entered the classroom with a sigh. It seemed he was the only one of his class that had succeeded with the test, but now that he was here, he wished that he at least had somebody he knew.

It didn't take long for someone to notice that he was there, and soon he found himself surrounded by people asking questions.

"Leave him alone," said someone sitting on the row behind him. The crowd parted to reveal a black haired boy sitting with his eyes closed. He reminded Naruto strongly of Sasuke, and he wasn't sure whether he should be grateful to this mysterious boy. "Can't you see he's scared?"

"Oi! I'm not scared, teme!"

The boy raised an eyebrow, not even opening his eyes. Naruto was about to say something again but then the door opened and a chuunin sensei walked in.

"Congratulations to you all for passing." She began. Everyone was once again in their seats, and all eyes were on the black haired woman at the front.

"Now that you are all genin, you will be expected to work in three man cells, or teams. Each team has been assigned according to ability, so that no team will be stronger than another. I will tell you which team you will be on, and then your jounin sensei will come and collect you."

Naruto chewed nervously on his thumb. Already the first few teams had been designated, and he was anxious to see who his team mates were. Eventually, the chuunin came to Team 3.

"Teams 3 and 4 consist of: Hyuuga Neji, Iwagate Tenten, Rock Lee, Kindaro Liu and Uzumaki Naruto. Your teams have a special arrangement which will be explained by your jounin sensei later on."

With that, she left the new genins on their own. Naruto was so busy looking at all the other people in the room that he didn't notice someone come and sit down beside him.

"Hi. You must be Uzumaki Naruto."

He jumped several feet in the air and already had a kunai drawn when he heard soft laughter. He looked down at the seat next to his and saw a blue haired girl smiling up at him.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked, jumping down from the table.

"I'm Liu."

_Liu? Wait, wasn't that the name of someone on my team? _

"Liu? You're on my team, right?" She nodded. "How did you know who I was?"

She laughed again. "You were the only person here that I didn't recognise."

"Ah." He smiled. "Nice to meet you, Liu."

"You too, Naruto-kun!"

_Kun? Did she just say 'Naruto-kun'? _

With his trademark foxy grin, Naruto began to question Liu about the other members of their team.

"First off," she began. "There's Hyuuga Neji." Liu pointed at the dark haired boy who had 'saved' Naruto from all the other genins. Neji was currently scowling at a hyperactive boy who had the largest eyebrows Naruto had ever seen.

"Why's he so moody?"

Liu smiled. "Neji has some major family issues. His dad died a few years ago and he's never forgiven his family. It's best not to bring the subject up when you're with him, unless you want to detangle yourself from a tree!"

"Heh. What about Super Eyebrows? Is he on our team?"

Liu raised one of her own eyebrows, thankfully a perfectly shaped one. "'Super Eyebrows'? You mean Lee?" She laughed. "Yes, he is. Lee is some what of a mystery. His chakra coils are screwed so he has to rely on taijutsu."

"Only taijutsu?!"

"Yup. I'm quite surprised he actually passed the exam, but I think that might have something to do with our new sensei."

"Oh. What about the other team member?"

Liu looked around the room before pointing at a brown haired girl with buns. "That's Tenten. She may not look like a good ninja but she's formidable with her weapons. She aced the weapons practical with such a high score that I think she put the examiner into shock!"

Naruto frowned. "Put him into shock?"

She nodded. "Hai. She hit all twenty-five targets in under ten seconds."

"You say that like it's an amazing feat, Liu-chan."

Naruto and Liu looked up to see Tenten standing next to their table. "Haha, Tenten-chan. Uh… hehe." Liu rubbed the back of her head nervously.

Tenten smiled. "Nyah! I knew you were just talking to the new guy!" She held out a hand to Naruto. "I'm Tenten. You must be Naruto."

"Konnichiwa, Tenten-san."

"Please, you're on my team now. Just call me Tenten."

With a smile, she pulled a chair from the table opposite and sat down with them. Naruto had a funny feeling that he would get along just fine with his new team mates.

Thirty minutes later and the other teams had started to file out with their senseis. Naruto, Tenten and Liu had moved away from their table and were now sitting around the large window that looked out onto the academy's training grounds.

Naruto had a good laugh when he saw Uchiha Bastard hiding from his fan club in a tree, and even Liu had joined in with the laughter. Tenten just shook her head and sighed, but they could tell that she thought it was funny too.

Eventually, the only people left in the room were themselves, Grumpy, and Super Eyebrows. Unfortunately for Naruto, Super Eyebrows thought that it was the opportune time to introduce himself.

Having been laughing at a joke Tenten had just told, neither Naruto nor Liu noticed Lee sneak up behind the blonde. That was, until he bounded in front of him and struck a 'nice-guy' pose.

"Konnichiwa! My name is Rock Lee!"

Naruto blinked. And then he blinked again.

"Hi." He said eventually.

Liu snorted behind him but Lee it seemed didn't hear her. His hand was still outstretched and he was still beaming at the slightly shocked younger boy.

Tenten poked him and he took that as his cue to introduce himself. "Uzumaki Naruto." He said, gripping Super Eyebrows' hand gently.

Lee's grin widened, if at all possible, and he shook Naruto's hand vigorously. When he let go, Naruto was feeling slightly dizzy. "Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun. We're going to have _so_ much fun on the same team."

Tenten, seeing Naruto's uneasiness, turned to Lee and said, "Lee-kun, why don't you go see Neji? I think I saw him calling you."

Grinning like a mad man, which, in Naruto's opinion, he could well be, Lee saluted her and bounded off to join Grumpy at the back of the classroom. Lee as oblivious as ever failed to notice the distressed look Neji sent the three genin near the window.

Liu and Tenten merely waved at him and turned back to watching the year below them in the training grounds.

Two hours later, not much had changed in the small classroom. The chuunin that was supposed to be watching them had left for her lunch break and their sensei had _still_ not shown up. Naruto was snoring gently in his seat on the window sill, occasionally muttering things about ramen and red bean soup. Liu and Tenten thought the way he was curled up like a cat in the sun was impossibly cute, especially when coupled with the genetic whisker marks. So they had decided that the opportunity was too good to miss.

Neji watched with a slight smirk as they attached pink and blue ribbons to the blonde's messy hair. He felt no sympathy whatsoever for his fellow male when they proceeded to paint his nose.

Ten minutes later and Uzumaki Naruto no longer resembled a normal human being, but rather a bizarre hybrid cat-human that had a strange snore.

When the classroom door _finally_ opened, it was to a scene that their (potential) sensei would never forget. Cat-Naruto was chasing Liu and Tenten around the classroom whilst _on the ceiling_, Lee was cheering him on, and Neji was unsuccessfully hiding in a corner trying to stifle his giggles. Needless to say, even the great Maito Gai was scarred for life.

"Um…"

The affect of that noise was instantaneous. The three genin dropped from the ceiling, Naruto frantically pulling bows from his hair. Neji stood up and made his way forward to join the rest of the team, and even Lee was managing to look serious.

Itachi looked at his 'team', then to the spandex wearing man beside him, and finally back again.

"You missed a ribbon."

* * *

**AN:** Sorry to anyone who was confused with the last chapter. As you can see only Naruto made it through. I like to think that Sasuke was just too pompous to be made genin. That will only last a little while though, hehe! Anyway, I think I need to torture a few more people soon. Naruto was just too much fun. Hmmm, who should be next?

Same as always, please hit the little button next to 'Submit Review'. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

The four genin and two jounin stared at each other for almost a minute before Itachi spoke up.

"Um, right then. Everybody up on the roof for our first team building exercise." He said, as he and Gai disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

:0:0:

When the genin reached the top of the academy building, their two jounin senseis were waiting for them. The younger one motioned for them to sit in a semi-circle in front of him, and they complied quickly. Naruto sat in between Tenten and Liu, with Neji and Lee on either end, effectively putting him in the middle.

"Okay, team." The younger jounin began. "First things first, you are going to introduce yourselves." He paused and the other jounin took over.

"Yosh! Because we don't want your burning flames of youth to die, Itachi-san and I have created a game that will keep you in your youthful spring times!"

The rest of them stared blankly, except Lee, who seemed to have flames dancing in his eyes. It didn't last long though, as Tenten gave him a swift slap across the head.

"Yes, thank you, Gai." Itachi continued, still looking oddly at his fellow jounin. "As for how this 'game' works," he said, this time talking to the four genin, "There is a pile of 'question cards' over here. To get one, you must complete a question or test from myself or Gai. Understand?"

Liu put up her hand. "Sensei, what do we do when we get a question card?"

"Whatever is on that card, no matter what, everyone else must answer it. Even us jounin."

Tenten glanced at Naruto, both of them wearing identical smirks. Liu soon joined them, causing Lee to edge away slightly.

"Now, youthful students, let us begin."

Because Neji was closest to the two jounin, he went first. Itachi simply asked him to create a bunshin, which Neji did easily. When he received his card, he let out an evil smirk.

"Describe your family." He said, revelling as almost everyone else paled, Gai turning the palest shade of white.

"I thought you took that card out." Itachi hissed, his eyes momentarily turning red. Gai simply gulped, deciding that he would go first to try and earn back brownie points.

"Okay, my youthful student. I shall go first." Neji frowned slightly, but stayed silent. "I, Maito Gai, live alone with only my burning flames of youth for company. I have a sister, but she betrayed my youthful family years ago."

Itachi nodded, pointing to Lee to continue.

"I'm Rock Lee, and I'm an only child. My father died on a mission three years ago, and my mother died giving birth to my little sister two years before that. I live with my aunt, who runs one of the barbecue restaurants."

Tenten patted him on the back before she carried on. "Iwagate Tenten, my family was Konoha's top mercenary weapons clan. An assassin from Iwa killed the rest of my family when I was two, so I'm the only survivor. I've been living in the orphanage ever since."

"Kindaro Liu." Liu spoke up, switching everyone's attention from Naruto, who would have been next, to her. "I am the sole heir of the Kindaro clan, Konoha's only female based clan system. I have two brothers, Kumo and Koro, but they will never inherit the title of clan head."

"I'm Uchiha Itachi. There are only two members of my clan left, my little brother, Sasuke, and me. My cousin and best friend murdered the entire clan, except for the two of us, and only then because I got to him first." Itachi finished. He was just about to ask Liu a question, when Neji interrupted.

"What about him?" he asked, pointing to Naruto.

Three people glared at the Hyuuga, and he was mildly surprised to find that one of them was his new sensei. Naruto didn't notice, he merely looked at Neji with a blank face before saying, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I don't know anything about my family."

Neji looked disappointed, but he sat back and let the questions continue. Some of them were rather useless, like favourite colours, favourite food and other favourite things, while others, like Naruto's question, were much more interesting.

"What was the last jutsu you used, and what rank was it?"

"Naruto-kun, you know I cannot use chakra."

"Oh. Sorry, Lee."

"I think for me," Liu began, "It would have to be Henge, which is only a D-rank jutsu. Sad really."

Tenten snorted. "Suck it up, Liu. Mine was Soushouryu, my clan jutsu, Twin Rising Dragons. I think it's about B-rank."

"Bunshin. D-rank." Came from Neji, while "Kuchiyose no jutsu, A-rank," came from Gai.

After Itachi's "Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu, A-rank," everyone turned to Naruto.

"What?"

"What was your last jutsu, Uzumaki?" Asked Neji.

"That wasn't part of the game."

"It's useful information, Naruto." Itachi said with a twisted smile. "Besides, you will be getting a sort of 'homework' task like this in a few weeks anyway."

"Fine, fine. Kage bunshin no jutsu, A-rank. Happy now?"

The three other genin, as well as Gai, stared at him in awe, not having expected him to know such a high level jutsu for a genin. Itachi, having read his files, merely smiled, and continued talking.

"Thank you, Naruto. Now, about our first training session."

:0:0:

"Does everybody understand?" There were several nods. "Good. I will meet you at training ground 19 tomorrow at six for the official genin test. Naruto, if I could have a word? The rest of you, see you tomorrow."

Itachi took him over to the side while the others gathered their stuff and left. When the roof was once again silent, he continued. "Naruto, tell me. How do you feel about your team mates?"

"Sensei?"

"You've come up a year early, and you only met them today. Would you rather wait until some people that you know graduate?"

"What?! No! No. I like them. Lee's a bit strange." Naruto said with a fox-like smile. "But he's alright when you get to know him. Same with Neji, I suppose. That is, when he isn't a mood."

Itachi laughed. _Hokage-sama was right. He fits right in. _"Very well. Now, I have something for you." He handed the blonde a small silver key.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Gee, thanks, sensei. A key, something I've always wanted."

"Yes, of course it is." He smiled. "Now, it's what it opens that's the most important."

Naruto flipped it over and saw a small inscription on the side. " _Apartment__ 22A__, West Block._" He read. "Sensei, is this…?"

"Yes, your very own apartment. And not one of those crappy ones the orphanage gives its kids these days." Itachi added, seeing the look on his face. "It should be ready to move into by the time you finish the test tomorrow."

* * *

**AN:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I feel loved. Writing Itachi feels so wierd, as I don't really have much background to go by, especially since this is AU. Argh, I never was good at make my characters seem 'real'. And about Neji. If he seems like an ass, that's not intentional. Neji in the next few chapters will be kind of different. So will Itachi and Lee actually... Bleh, I'm rambling. Please review. 

P.S. I was going to put this up tomorrow, but I've kept you waiting long enough. So here it is, and Merry Christmas!

Henge - Transform

Soushouryu - Twin Rising Dragons

Kuchiyose no jutsu - Summoning technique

Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu - Water Element: Water Dragon Blast technique


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

At half past five the next morning, Naruto woke with an extreme case of hyperness. Even though he had only gone to sleep at half three, two hours later he was full of energy again. He bounced around his small orphanage flat, throwing clothes into piles of what to keep and what to throw away. His eagerness at leaving was almost visible, as was the large gaping hole he had accidentally punched through the kitchen wall last night.

As Naruto was busy making himself some breakfast, on the other side of Konoha in the Hyuuga compound, Neji was trying his hardest to sneak out without waking up the guard on duty outside the branch house gates. Fortunately for him, the guard was out cold, and he managed to slip away unnoticed.

As he made his way through the empty streets he passed one of the other clan compounds. Recognising the symbol on the wall, a cat sitting in a diamond, as the Kindaro clan symbol, he activated his Byakugan. Unfortunately for him, the Kindaro clan had a powerful Genjutsu user, and he found himself momentarily blinded by the bright Genjutsu-created light.

Liu smirked from her position in the trees at the edge of the clan compound, and watched as Neji furiously rubbed at his eyes. Taking a quick glance at the sky, she guessed it was almost six, and headed across the rooftops to Tenten's orphanage.

Although her orphanage was on the outskirts of Konoha, and therefore relatively quiet, it was still quite a task for Tenten to 'escape' without anyone noticing. Luckily, someone she knew wasn't quite so calm in the mornings, and the matron's attention was diverted for a minute as the every-happy Rock Lee raced down the street singing loudly.

As Naruto finally left his apartment, he heard Lee coming before he saw him. Deciding that his new team mate was worth a try, he slowed down his walk until the black-haired boy caught up with him.

"Ohayo, Naruto-kun!"

"Ohayo, Lee."

Lee stretched his arms up and gave a huge smile. "I love mornings! Make you want to go for a jog, don't they?"

Naruto looked affronted. "Exercise?! In the morning?! Lee-san, have you ever heard of a 'lie-in'?"

Lee chuckled, and soon they were both laughing as they made their way towards training ground 19.

:0:0:

The five genin arrived at almost the same time, Liu and Tenten arriving only a few seconds after the boys. Itachi, who was hidden in the trees on the other side of the clearing, watched as they interacted, hoping that they would be able to pass his bell test.

After a few more minutes of observing them, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, before reappearing in the middle of the clearing. The five genin quieted down immediately, waiting for him to begin the test.

Itachi smirked as he looked them over. "Well, I have to commend you on your time keeping skills." Several glares were shot his way. "Right then, on to the official test. The object of this test is to retrieve the three bells over there," he began, pointing to three bells attached to senbon needles embedded in one of the logs at the far end of the training ground. "As there are only three bells, the two of you who don't manage to get one will be sent back to the academy, and will have to wait another year before trying to graduate again."

"WHAT?!" Naruto cried, outraged. "But sensei, that's not fair. We all worked really hard to get here. You can't send us back now!"

Itachi merely shrugged. "Hokage's orders. This test has been in circulation for generations, but each jounin sensei carries it out in different ways." He paused, waiting for each of them to calm down. "As I have already said, my test simply requires you to obtain one of the three bells."

"But sensei, what's the catch?" Liu asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Ah, well done, Liu. As you said, it won't be that easy. To even reach the bells, you will have to get past me."

There was silence for a while before each of the genin finally realised what that meant. Their reactions ranged from shock to excitement to downright despair. Itachi merely smiled.

"Well then. What are you all waiting for? Hurry up and get in a line."

The genin responded quickly, each of them lining up along the bank of the river at their end of the training ground. Itachi stood in the middle, between them and the bells.

"There are only two rules. Firstly, if you step outside of the training grounds, you will automatically be disqualified. And secondly, you have until noon to get a bell. Anybody who isn't in possession of a bell by then will be sent back to the academy. Hajime!"

:0:0:

Tenten slowly crept through the trees on the right side of the clearing. With Neji ahead of her, Byakuugan activated, she wasn't worried about anything sneaking up on them. Still, she was slightly nervous about the way Itachi still hadn't moved from his spot in the middle of the clearing.

As soon as he said begin, the five genin had disappeared into the trees surrounding them. Lee, Liu and Naruto had taken the left hand side, leaving them the right.

As they continued to creep through the trees, Tenten realised that they had managed to get past Itachi, and the half way point. Neji had also noticed it, and with a nod, they began to sprint towards the bells.

Unfortunately for them, Neji had not noticed the kage bunshins that surrounded them until it was too late. Faced with no less than ten Itachis, they had no other choice but to fight.

Tenten whipped out a chain of kunai, while Neji took up the Jyuuken stance. With a quick glance at each other, they leapt forward, fists and arms flying.

Itachi smirked as he watched his two students defeat his bunshins. As he finished the last seal, he leapt through the trees in search of the rest of his team.

:0:0:

Liu made sure to stay close to the two boys. It wasn't that she couldn't protect herself; she just thought Lee and Naruto could do a much better job. She scanned the forest around them, looking for any sign that something was out of place.

Her eyes settled on their sensei, who was yet to move from his spot in the middle of the clearing. Suddenly, she realised what she was seeing.

"Wait! Naruto, Lee, be careful!" She called. Naruto dropped down from a branch to see what she was looking at.

"Nani? What is it?"

"That's not sensei! It's only a kage bunshin!"

"WHAT?! You mean he could be in here?"

She nodded.

"Right," Naruto began, "If he finds us, I'll distract him while you two run for it."

"But, Naruto-kun..."

"No buts, Lee. You need to protect Liu. I can hold my own for a while."

"Yosh!"

With a new strategy in mind, the three continued on through the trees, more aware than before. Itachi watched the exchange, a large smile on his face. It was time to see if they would go through with it.

Lee made sure to stay close to Liu, both of them ready to run if needed. Naruto seemed sure about what he was doing, and they trusted him enough to believe him. When Itachi suddenly appeared in front of them, they didn't need telling twice to make a break for the other side of the clearing.

Naruto saw his team mates running out of the corner of his eye, and smiled as he made the familiar hand seal, calling out "Kage bunshin no jutsu," as he did. When the smoke cleared, Itachi found himself surrounded by thirty of Naruto's clones, each of them wearing identical smirks.

:0:0:

Several hours passed before Lee and Liu found two of their team mates stuck in a complex genjutsu. Sighing at their inability to escape a jutsu that even she could, Liu pressed a chakra covered finger to Neji's forehead, and then Tenten's, whispering "Kai."

As soon as they were both up and about, the four genin split up again, this time Lee accompanying Tenten, and Neji with Liu.

When 11 o'clock finally arrived, the five genin and one jounin could all be found out of breath (although in Itachi's case, only slightly), each of them sporting injuries. Liu was sitting in a tree, nursing a broken arm courtesy of a misplaced Jyuuken strike when Neji thought Itachi was using a henge to pose as her. She didn't want to tell him that Itachi had actually been posing as Naruto. Making sure to keep her arm close to her body, she watched as Lee and Neji worked together to try and land a hit on their sensei.

On the other side of the clearing, Naruto finally managed to sneak past them, grabbing a bell from the log before collapsing in a heap to the side. He had several burns on his face, along with a large bruise from where he had hit a tree in an attempt to escape Itachi's Katon jutsu.

A few minutes later, he was joined by Tenten, who was nursing a cut on the side of her head. She too had been injured trying to escape the massive fireball, and seemed to be just as worn out as Naruto was.

As they watched their two team mates, they realised that Itachi was slowly winning. Lee had a slight limp from where he landed badly after an unexpected fall, and Neji was showing signs of chakra exhaustion. But just as they feared they would lose, Neji landed a hit right on Itachi's stomach, causing him to blow up in a cloud of smoke.

_What?! A kage bunshin?! _

As soon as the smoke cleared, Lee sprinted off towards the final bell, Neji close behind him. Unfortunately, Lee was faster, and he managed to grab the last bell just as the alarm rang 12 o'clock.

There was silence in the clearing as the alarm stopped ringing. The five genin looked at each other in shock. Liu had made her way towards them at the end of the fight, and when they realised that neither she nor Neji had a bell…

"Congratulations!" Itachi said happily as he appeared in front of the shocked genin. "Alright then, everyone with a bell step forward."

Nobody moved. Inwardly, Itachi kept his fingers crossed. _Come on, guys. Don't let me down now!_

Then, Lee handed his bell over to Liu. "You take it."

"What, Lee, no!"

"You'd make a much better ninja than me. You can't be a ninja if you can't use chakra, right?"

Liu nodded and took the bell. Sighing, Naruto shoved his in Neji's direction.

"Take it. I was pushing my luck to think I could I graduate early. You deserve it more, anyway."

Neji nodded in thanks, taking the bell from him before turning to look at their sensei.

Itachi merely smiled even wider. "Congratulations!" He laughed. "You all pass!"

* * *

**AN:** I wanted to do something fancy with this chapter, because of the new year, but in the end my laziness pulled through so you're just left with the chapter as it should be. Still, I'm quite proud with this one. The bell test was giving my headaches headaches! At least I get to have fun with the next few chapters. If there's anything anyone can think of for mundane and boring D rank missions, your suggestions will be welcome. There's only so much one can think of without wanting to smash the computer. 

So, here's to the new year, although I'm a little overdue! Why not leave a review as a little present, ne?


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

"What?" Five voices cried.

Itachi laughed. "I was starting to get a little worried at the end there, but you pulled through!"

"Sensei, I don't understand." Liu complained, slumping down next to Tenten.

"Hmm, I didn't think you would. This whole exercise was to see how well you work as a team." He explained.

"Teamwork?" Naruto asked incredulously. "You had us compete against each other because you wanted to see our teamwork?"

"Yes. If you could all manage to overcome the fact that you _needed_ to get a bell, and be able to help your fellow genin to get one too, then you would have passed. In fact, even if none of you managed to get a bell, I would have passed you anyway."

"Really?"

"Yes, really, Tenten. You all showed several examples of good teamwork. For instance, Neji and Tenten. You two worked together to overcome a large number of enemies. And then, Liu. You chose to release those two idiots from the genjutsu I cast, instead of leaving them and eliminating competition. And at the end, Lee and Neji, you kept my bunshin distracted in order for Naruto and Tenten to have a chance at the bells. Therefore, your teamwork is brilliant, and there is very little you can do to stop me passing you all."

The newly confirmed team 3 was quiet for a moment, before Itachi found himself buried under four of his students, each of them thanking him generously. Neji just stood at the side, making sure to dodge when Lee let go and attempted to hug him instead.

When Itachi finally managed to convince Naruto and the two girls to let go of him, he set about healing their wounds, before dragging them off to eat pocky.

:0:0:

They hadn't even known their sensei for a day, yet all five genin knew for a fact that he was downright crazy.

"So, after all that training, mmm… we'll be all set for missions and, mfph… yeah… this is good pocky."

Lee and Naruto watched fascinated as Itachi gobbled stick after stick of pocky. Tenten had excused herself to the bathroom a few minutes ago, Neji was staring pointedly at the ceiling, and Liu was looking anywhere but the young jounin.

After five minutes, Itachi finally realised that none of his students were listening. Half a stick hanging out of his mouth, he turned to look at them. "Wha'ss wrong?"

The four genin present looked at him in disbelief.

"Sensei," Liu ventured. "You just ate three whole packs of strawberry pocky... In just five minutes. The man behind the counter may like you, but I'm not too sure if he's completely sane."

Itachi had the gall to look sheepish. "Ah, heh heh. Gomen. Did you manage to catch anything I said?" Another glare was sent his way. "Didn't think so." He was just about to begin again when he realised someone was missing. "Where's Tenten?"

"She went to the little girls' room when you started on the second pack." Neji explained.

"Ah."

:0:0:

After much apologising and convincing on Itachi's part, he swore to never go on a pocky binge when around his team. Of course, none of them actually believed him, but it was the thought that counts.

Since none of the genin had been listening to what he had been saying before hand, Itachi decided to start from the beginning.

"Right. Now that everyone's listening, (Here Liu mumbled "And not stuffing their faces.") I'll start from the beginning. The minimum number of training sessions a genin team has to have over a week is three. Now, personally, I think that's a ridiculous number, so we'll be training at least five days every week. If you ever want to become chuunin, and get past the crappy D rank missions, you need to get stronger. And the only way to do that is to learn, and to train. Of course, you have to actually have a sensei that's willing to teach you everything they know. And that's where I come in."

By now, all five of them were listening avidly, when Lee asked a question that had been at the back of all their minds. "Sensei, what about Gai-sensei?"

Itachi smiled. "I'm glad you asked, Lee. Gai-san is here because he specifically asked to be allowed to train you."

"Me? But - Why?"

"Your special condition, Lee, means you can only use taijutsu. Gai-san, however weird he may be, is Konoha's most renowned taijutsu specialist. And he wants to make you his apprentice."

The team was silent for a minute before Neji spoke up. "Does that mean Lee will be getting private lessons?"

"No, Neji. Gai-san originally asked for that, but I insisted that a genin team's most important weapon is team work, and that separating you would only lead to conflict within the group. Naturally, after an emotional, pride inflicting speech that could only come from someone as intelligent as me, I managed to convince him to teach all of you brats!" He finished with another large smile, completely oblivious to how his explanation had turned into a self-absorbed outburst.

"Um…" Lee began, shooting worried glances at the mood-switching Uchiha. "Does that mean I will have to attend the lessons focused on chakra?"

"Hn? Oh, yes. I know that you will never be able to use any of the techniques I teach the others, but that doesn't mean you should be ignorant as to what other shinobi can do. Not all shinobi will be willing to look at your handicap and think 'Oh, he can't use chakra, so I won't either.' If you think like that, you'll get yourself killed, and I won't care one bit."

Naruto frowned. "Isn't that a little harsh, sensei?"

"Not at all, Naruto. In the shinobi world, we shinobi are simply tools. The Hokage commands us, and we shinobi must do what he says, regardless of what it is. Those who don't follow the rules are trash. It's fine for you to think of yourself as invincible during training, but if you think like that in battle, you'll be a danger to your fellow shinobi, and to the village. It is better for a shinobi like that to perish in his first battle, then for him to return to the village, thinking that it's okay for him to think that way again. But you also have to remember that those who abandon their comrades are _worse_ than trash. The Yondaime taught everyone that, which is why I want you all to be able to protect your friends in _any_ situation."

The five genin looked at each other, similar thoughts running through their minds. After a while, they came to the same conclusion, and returned their attention to Itachi.

"Now then," he smiled. "Because you've all decided that you want to be the strongest you can be, training will be brutal for the first few months. But I won't be going easy after that. Most genin teams go straight into missions, but I've taken the liberty to put aside a month simply for training. During this month, we'll decide what sort of team we will be, what area of shinobi arts each of you will focus on, and whether or not I think you can all make it to Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai."

"A- ANBU?!" Three voices rose above the noise from the street outside.

Itachi cracked a smile at Naruto, Lee and Tenten's shocked faces. "Yes, ANBU. What's the point in becoming a shinobi if you're not able to protect your village at the highest level you can?"

Neji smirked. "So, sensei. When do we start training?"

* * *

**AN: **Again, thanks so much for all your reviews. The next few chapters will be mainly flashbacks because I went for a mini timeskip, but only about a few months. Sorry if that spoilt it for you, but I just wanted to let you all know so you don't get confused by all the crazy _italics _in the next chapter.

And I finally managed to find the meaning of ANBU! Woo! Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai means Special Assassination and Tactical Squad. Yup!


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Naruto looked down at the pendant that now hung around his neck. Itachi had given each of them a small necklace, and insisted that they never take it off unless he authorised it. Smiling, he remembered what had happened next.

:0:0:

_"But sensei! It's so… so… Argh! It's so GIRLY!" Neji complained. It seemed that even the normally stoic Hyuuga had a whiny side. Itachi merely laughed, still holding the bird-shaped pendant. Neji glared at Lee, who was holding a lizard-shaped pendant of his own. Tenten was holding a cat, while Liu was holding what looked like a wolf. "Can't I swap with Liu? I think she has my one!" _

_"Neji, Neji, Neji. If you can't figure it out now, then I'm not going to tell you." Itachi laughed, handing a fox-shaped pendant to Naruto. "Well, what are you waiting for? Put them on!" _

_Everyone fumbled with the catches until they were secured. Neji looked even more annoyed when Itachi pulled out his own weasel shaped one. "Now," he began. "These pendants will be our communication link. By pumping chakra into my pendant, it sends a signal to yours, which heats it up, and tells you to meet up for training. With me so far?" _

_Five heads nodded. _

_"Good. Now, for the first few months, we'll simply be training where we were today. Training ground 19. But when I think you're capable enough, I'll call you from somewhere different, meaning it's up to you to find me." _

_"How will we do that, sensei?" asked Tenten. _

_"The more a shinobi trains, the more in tune they are with chakra. Most don't notice it until they are told about it in ANBU, but it can happen as early as academy level. Hopefully, all of you can pick it up quite quickly, which means you'll be able to determine different people's chakra, what level they are in terms of chakra skill, and most importantly, whereabouts they are." _

_"So it's sort of like a tracking device?" _

_"Yes, I suppose so. Eventually, you will just be able to focus on the chakra that called you, and will be able to follow it back to the person." _

_"Cool." _

_"Oh, and it gets better, Lee. Someday, you'll be able to call each other too, which makes it a perfect device for, I don't know, sneaking out and playing pranks without getting noticed." He looked pointedly at Naruto, whose eyes were shining brightly. _

_"Anyway, that's if you can even survive the first month of training!" _

:0:0:

Naruto was positive after that; Itachi-sensei was officially crazy. _Maybe it's all those years living with Sasuke-teme. Oh, wait. Maybe Sasuke's like that _because_ he lives with Itachi!_

Still, he couldn't fault the way the strange jounin thought. Loyalty to the village was always first on Naruto's mind. If he wanted even a chance at being Hokage, he would have to prove his loyalty to the village first.

As he settled down on his new bed, in his new, _clean _apartment, Naruto's mind kept replaying what Itachi had said before. _"What's the point in becoming a shinobi if you're not able to protect your village at the highest level you can?" _

:0:0:

Alarm clocks were designed to wake people up at civilised times of the day. As a young aspiring kunoichi, Kindaro Liu did not expect to be able to lie in everyday. But then again, nor did she expect to be woken up at half past four by a burning pain against her chest.

Glaring down at the pendant that hung around her neck, she changed quickly, grabbing her pouch of kunai on the way out, before heading to her team's training ground.

Sure she loved her team mates, but they were not always the most welcome sight so early in the morning. _Sometimes, I really hate Itachi-sensei. Then again, this isn't the first time he's woken us up this early. I wonder if he even sleeps. _

:0:0:

_Team 3's very first day as a team started at the ungodly hour of five o'clock. Of course, four out of five genin on the team freaked out when they woke up sweating because of their extremely hot pendants. And although Neji denied it, several Hyuuga could be heard muttering about strange noises coming from his room whenever they passed him for several weeks afterwards. _

_Itachi, as an Uchiha, seemed to have a really sadistic sense of humour, and thus, when all of the genin gathered outside training ground 19, he deliberately arrived late, wearing a look that clearly said 'Oh, what are you doing here at this time of day?' Needless to say, it didn't last very long, as waking up two teenage girls at any time before seven was guaranteed to put them in a bad mood. _

_Of course, after that, Itachi knew not to do it again unless it was an emergency. However, when they found out _why_ they had been woken up, their mood switched immediately. _

_"SHOPPING?!" _

_"I _love_ shopping!" _

_"Why? Why?!" _

_"Sensei! That's not fair!" _

_"Ugh!" _

:0:0:

_No matter how long or how hard the three boys had complained that morning, Itachi and the two girls still dragged them down into the village and to the nearest clothes store. _

_Neji was probably the most worried, because his pride was at stake. What if one of those damned Main House members saw him? And especially who he was with! Of course, nobody really paid much attention to the young Hyuuga's increasingly frantic struggles. Naruto and Lee had long since given up, leaving Neji to resist his crazy sensei's efforts alone. _

_Regardless, Itachi ushered them inside and pushed them to the back of the shop. Once there, he shoved them onto chairs before grabbing one for himself. _

_"Now, one of the most important things you need to have to be a successful shinobi is a decent outfit." He began. The three boys stared at him like he had grown an extra head. Seeing this, Itachi laughed. "Don't worry boys, this isn't _all_ about fashion. There are three important things to think about when choosing a shinobi outfit. Can anyone tell me one?" _

_Tenten put up her hand. "You need to be able to sneak around without being seen. You should have dark colours, not bright colours like orange." Here she looked at Naruto. _

_"Yes. That's exactly right. While bright colours are nice, they won't help you at all when trying to sneak into enemy territory. Anything else?" _

_This time Liu spoke up. "Shouldn't they match somewhat the surroundings of your village? I mean, it wouldn't make sense to wear a lot of blues if you're from Suna." _

_"Again, that's right. As Konoha shinobi, greens, blacks, and browns are the typical colours of the surrounding countryside. Therefore, a good shinobi would incorporate them into his outfit. Does anybody know the last thing?" Nobody answered. "Hn, I didn't suppose you would. To me, and I've said this before, the most important thing for a genin team like you is teamwork. You need to be able to recognise your team mates quickly and efficiently, and also to let others know that you are a team. That's why you need to come up with a signature mark for all of your outfits." _

_The genin were quiet for a minute before they nodded. _

_"Right then. I'll leave you guys to get on with it. I have some things I need to be doing, so I'll meet you back here in fifty-five minutes to see what you've picked." _

:0:0:

_Neji glared at the item of clothing in his hand. Upon seeing it, Lee had gone crazy, muttering how cool he would look, and how Gai-sensei would be proud of him. Naruto had wandered off a few seconds ago, leaving Neji to deal with a hyper-active Gai-clone-in-the-making. Luckily for him, Naruto came back, wielding a large pair of boots, which he promptly smacked Lee around the head with. _

_"Ah, peace at last." He sighed. _

_Lee, who was on the ground, grumbled before bouncing back up again. "Naruto-kun. What did you do that for?" _

_Two glares were sent his way. "However _convenient_ this thing may be for training," Naruto began, holding up the black spandex body suit. "I forbid _any_ of my team mates to wear something like this!" _

_"But Naruto-kun…" _

_"Hey, what about this?" Neji asked, holding up a skin-tight black top. It allowed the same movement that Lee liked about the body suit, yet wasn't as 'ugly'. _

_Naruto looked at it accusingly, then nodded. Lee grinned before snatching it from Neji's hand and hugging it. Determinedly ignoring him, Naruto continued rummaging through the pile of clothes they had collected before Lee spotted the bodysuit. _

_"Here." He said, pulling a pair of baggy black trousers from the pile. "Have these as well." _

_Lee snatched them too, before thinking out loud. "Are you sure that these will allow me a large range of movement. Don't forget, taijutsu's the only thing I can rely on." _

_Suddenly, a voice spoke up from the other side of the aisle. "For Kami's sake, Lee! Just take the damn trousers! And here, use this to wrap around your ankles to stop the ends from getting caught." _

_A roll of black bandages hit Lee in the head, and they looked up to see Liu perched on the wall. She smiled mischievously before dropping back down. _

_"Oh, and Tenten and I have decided what our signature is going to be." She called. Three objects were thrown over the cabinet separating them, which Neji caught swiftly. There were three red belts, each with plain buckles that could have a design etched into them. "There's one for each of you. And just so you know, make sure your outfits are all black and red." _

_Neji handed out the belts before speaking up. "Black and red, huh?" He looked over at Lee's small pile of clothes. "You need a bit more red, Lee." _

:0:0:

_Once Lee's outfit had been decided, the three boys went to work on Neji's. They found that working together got the job done much faster, and with Liu or Tenten's occasional help, they were done almost as fast as the girls. When they met up with Itachi again, he sent them all off into the changing rooms so he could see their new outfits. _

_Lee now wore the spandex black T-shirt, (though Naruto still grumbled about it the whole time) along with the baggy black cargo pants which were taped at the bottom with the black bandages. He also wore black shinobi sandals, the red belt that the girls had chosen, and two more red belts, which he wore in an X-shape across his back and chest which he could attach a weapon to. _

_Neji's outfit was a lot simpler. He wore a similar shirt to his previous one, only black, and without buttons. He had black shorts too, under which his legs were also bandaged. He had also customised with belts, wearing the 'team' belt as well as three others, which hung at angles across his hips and upper legs. When the other two boys commented, he flat out denied that it was because they made him look cool, and insisted they were there for easy access to weapons. Of course, Naruto and Lee chose not to comment on the fingerless red gloves he had chosen. _

_Naruto had had the most fun with his outfit. Having never been taken clothes shopping before, he originally went wild with his choices. After twenty minutes of running around with an extremely long red headdress, Neji and Lee managed to calm him down enough to choose something sensible. He went for a similar top to Lee's only blood red instead. Over that, he wore a black tank top, with a small seal on the back to attach a weapon to. He had chosen the same pants and sandals as Lee, and he too had bandages around his ankles. _

_Itachi seemed impressed with their choices, and although he would never admit it, he was pleased to see that they had worked together to come up with them. Of course, he knew that Liu and Tenten had had some input too, but he wasn't exactly complaining. After all, teenage shinobi males aren't exactly known for their brilliant taste in clothes. _

_When the two girls finally finished changing, the three genin boys did a double take. Itachi, though he didn't comment, was surprised at the level of impracticality. '_Still, they are females, so fashion will come first before they truly realise what being a kunoichi means._' _

_Liu had discarded her long, baggy coat for a more sophisticated black trench coat. She had left it hanging open, revealing the short red crop top and black fishnet top that she now wore. She had also chosen baggy black trousers, which were held up by the red belt. The only thing that spoilt her new 'bad girl' image, as she put it, was the fact that her bright blue hair was still hanging loosely around her shoulders. From the look on her face, they could all tell she wasn't pleased. _

_"Itachi-sensei?" She said sweetly, trying to keep from attacking her hair. "You wouldn't mind if we go to a hair salon after this would you. I'm not the only one who needs a hair cut." _

_Itachi merely nodded, attempting not to crack a smile at her antics._

_Once Liu calmed down some, they took the time to look at Tenten's outfit. She wore similar clothes to her old ones, but with a slight modification. The pink Chinese-style top she wore previously had been replaced by a rich red one, which stopped half way, leaving her stomach bare, if not for the fishnet top she wore beneath it. She had baggy black shorts that looked like they had once been part of dungarees, as there was still a pouch hanging at the front, and a flap of fabric at the back that went past her knees. She also had long fingerless black gloves, that, from the look in her eyes, they just knew she was going to customise and turn into a weapon. _

* * *

**AN:** I cannot STAND Naruto's orange jumpsuit. It's just one of the things I was glad that he changed in Part II. And at last, it's finally here! SHIPPUDEN! Wooh! I thought I'd make this a slightly longer chapter in honour of thespecial day. Oh, and sorry for all the Italics in this chapter, I just wanted to get the time skip I have planned over and done with. Look forward to the good stuff after next chap.

Please keep up all your lovely reviews. Thanks.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

As she raced across the rooftops of Konoha, Liu laughed out loud at the memory. Neji and Naruto had managed to convince Itachi to do his own shopping later, but unfortunately for them, they forgot that she had asked to get a haircut afterwards. Still, after much complaining and threatening of lives, they managed to get through it rather peacefully, each of them leaving with a different style than when they entered.

_When the hairdresser had commented that Neji would look better with short hair, the boy replied with a glare that could have melted steel. The man had nearly wet himself, and simply gave the Hyuuga a trim and told him to keep it tied back, praying that he wouldn't feel the wrath of the Jyuuken._

_Naruto had caused similar problems, claiming that he wanted to try growing his hair out. The hairdresser commented that blonde hair would stand out too much on missions. Seeing Naruto's determination, Itachi merely told him to wear a bandana during missions. The other man gave him a strange look before shooing him out of the chair._

_Lee had been up for anything, so when he was given a book of hair styles to choose from, he immediately chose the most outrageous. Just like Naruto's refusal to allow him to wear a bodysuit, when Itachi saw which style he had picked he flat out refused to allow him to have it done._

_"There is no way in the seven depths of hell that I will allow you to have a Mohican when you are still part of my team. Kami-sama, the last person I saw with a Mohican gave me nightmares for weeks." _

_One of the assistants in the shop overheard him and burst out laughing. _

_"Keika-chan? Do you know something?" The hairdresser asked. _

_"Ha ha ha!" She laughed. "Oh, Itachi-kun. You just don't want him to have it done because you remember how awful it looked on you!" _

_"Itachi-sensei?" _

_"That's not fair, Keika." Itachi said with a pout. "I hardly remember anything of that night. It wasn't my fault that I woke up with that awful hair do. I'll have you know that I walked around with a genjutsu on for a whole month afterwards." _

_This set Keika off again, while confusing the five genin even more. _

_"Um, sensei?" Naruto asked. "What exactly happened?" _

_Itachi scowled for a while before he simply said, "My party after I graduated to ANBU." _

_As if that explained everything, he had simply pointed at a less vibrant version of the style for the hairdresser to use, and then ushered the next person into the chair when he had finished. Tenten, tired of her two buns, had her hair cut short into a bob, the back only slightly longer than the front. Liu went for a similar style, although she kept her hair passed her shoulders. She now wore it pulled back at the nape of her neck, with two thin bangs hanging either side of her face. _

With half of the village still between her and the training grounds, Liu sped up, hoping to catch up with Neji or Tenten.

:0:0:

Living on his own in a relatively large flat was certainly a new experience for Naruto. Even after five months, he still wasn't used to how much space he had. When he had first moved in, he and Iruka had spent a lot of time buying furniture and ornaments.

Naruto had to admit that he missed Iruka's lessons, even if he did learn more with Itachi. When the chuunin had heard about his new apartment, he was over there like a flash to check up on him. Twelve bowls of ramen later, as well as Naruto's patented 'Puppy Eyes', Iruka decided that he would help him decorate.

As it was, they had picked quite a lot of new stuff. The kitchen was fitted with five slate-topped counters, as well as a cooker, dishwasher and fridge freezer. Naruto, who had never had a fridge before, was delighted at the fact that he could pre-make ramen and keep it fresh for hours afterwards.

There was also a set of cupboards which Iruka hung up on the wall, making sure that they were strong enough to hold the enormous weight of the amount of instant ramen he knew Naruto would eventually put there.

Thanks to Iruka, and the large amount of money Naruto had saved up, each room was furnished properly, and if it wasn't for the small touches here and there, you might not expect it to be the home a loudmouthed genin.

When his pendant heated up that morning, Naruto was already wide awake, having been woken up by one of his prank scrolls exploding. Of course, he and his entire bedroom had been covered in some sort of slimy mixture, though he couldn't remember there being that much flour when he was making it. Still, having things explode on you was a sure fire way to wake up quickly, and Naruto was in and out of the shower already before it was time to meet up with his team.

When he arrived at the training grounds, Itachi was already there, and Neji arrived a few seconds later. He nodded to the jounin before sitting at the base of a tree next to Naruto.

"Ohayo." He yawned.

Naruto smiled. "Ohayo, to you too." Neji groaned and leant back on the tree, eyes half open. "Oi, oi! No sleeping!" He said, poking the Hyuuga in the shoulder.

Itachi watched as the blonde tried to keep Neji from closing his eyes, and was quite glad when the rest of the team arrived. "Naruto, you can stop poking Neji now." He called. Neji jumped up quickly at this, and sent a small smirk over at the blonde before joining the rest of the group.

Naruto pouted slightly, but came over nonetheless. "So, why'd you call us so early, sensei?" Five expectant faces looked up at him.

"Well," Itachi began, a huge smile on his face, "I've got us all another mission!"

There were several thuds as Liu, Tenten and Neji slumped to the ground in defeat.

"Great, another D-rank mission."

"I wonder what it could be this time."

"Weeding again?"

"Dog walking?"

"Hmm. Maybe it's litter picking?"

"Or what about babysitting? After all, it went _so_ well last time."

"Ooh, it could be painting that Feudal Lord's house!"

"Wait, I know. It's-"

"CHASING THAT GODDAMNED EVIL CAT FROM HELL!" They all cried.

Itachi blinked and looked down at his students. All of them were now on the ground, Neji looking half asleep, and Liu and Tenten leaning on each other for support. Even Naruto looked ready to go back to bed. He chuckled a bit, and they all turned to look at him.

"Don't worry, it's none of those."

"Oh, great!" Neji groaned. "Maybe this time it'll be grocery shopping. I'm surprised we haven't actually done that yet."

"And it's not grocery shopping either." Itachi pulled a thick scroll from his pocket. "Now look closely." He said, holding it out for them to see. "You see that? That's proof that the Hokage thinks we're strong enough!"

Six identical grins swept around the group as they all stared at the big fat 'C' stamped onto the mission scroll.

:0:0:

"Ne, sensei?" Naruto began, throwing several kunai at a tree on the other side of the clearing. "What sort of mission will we be doing? We've never been given a C-rank one before."

Tenten and Liu put down their weapons and came over from where they had been sparring, Neji and Lee doing the same. Itachi looked at them for a moment before he motioned them to sit down.

"Okay, although the mission is a simple one, there are several conditions I will need you all to take in to account." He paused, and then looked specifically at Naruto, Neji and Tenten. "Actually, it's really only you three that need to be extra careful."

"What? Why?"

He sighed. "Like I said, the mission itself is simple. Just a short escort mission for two chuunin."

"Then why are there any rules?" Lee asked.

"Simple. We'll be escorting the two chuunin back to Tsuchi no Kuni, Iwagakure to be more precise."

The group was silent as every head turned to watch Tenten's expression. Her face was pale, and her hands were clenched in her lap, but she said nothing.

"This is where the first condition comes in." Itachi spoke, breaking the silence and drawing everyone's attention back to him. "I know that you want to get revenge for what happened to your family, Tenten-chan, but you have to think about the safety of your team mates. When we're in Iwa, we'll be surrounded by their shinobi. Konoha is still trying to repair relationships, so any sort of violence could trigger them to retaliate and start another war."

Tenten didn't say anything, but after a while she nodded, and she slowly released the tension in her hands. Itachi breathed out heavily before he continued.

"That's also the reason Naruto might have problems."

"Nani?" Naruto, as well as the rest of the genin, looked confused at this.

"You might not have noticed, but you bear a striking resemblance to Yondaime-sama. He was the main reason Konoha survived the war against Iwa, so seeing someone who resembles him so closely, the shinobi there may try to take their revenge out on you."

Naruto gulped.

"That's why you will have to be extra careful not to give yourself away." He looked at them all and added, "That goes for the rest of you, too. If you do anything to jeopardise the treaty between the two villages, then be ready to face the consequences. I'd hate for anything to happen to you on our first big mission. Understood?"

They all nodded. Itachi then turned to Neji. "Like with Naruto, you will have to be careful because of your appearance. It's obvious to anyone who looks at you that you are a Hyuuga. That's why anybody who wishes revenge on Konoha, or your clan, may attempt to kidnap or even kill you to learn the secret of the Byakugan."

Neji nodded, having already heard all of this from his father before he died. "I know."

Itachi smiled and tried to lighten the mood. "Well, now that we've gotten all the nasty business out of the way, why don't you guys go pack? It takes two weeks to get to Iwa, the same on the way back, and the Tsuchikage wants us to stay for another two weeks while we're there. That means we'll be gone for a total of six weeks."

"Six weeks?" Liu cried. "Kami-sama. I have to go shopping! Come on, Tenten!" She grabbed the still quiet weapons specialist by the hand, and after saying a quick goodbye to her team mates and sensei, she left the training grounds to raid all the clothes shops she could find.

* * *

**AN:** Well, the story is finally starting to pick up. It shouldn't be long before you start to recognise some of the original plot-line. I'm SO sorry that this chapter was took so long to write, but I was really ill, and I've had exams for the last few weeks. Thanks very much to kyuubi's-kit13 for help with D-rank missions. My brain really wasn't working when I needed it to. 

Tsuchi no Kuni - Country of Earth

Iwagakure - Hidden Rock


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

All last minute preparations completed and taken care of, Team 3 gathered outside the main gates of Konoha, waiting for Itachi to join them with the mission scroll. Five minutes later, the jounin materialised in a swirl of leaves, making the still sleepy genin jump.

Itachi glanced at them with a lazy smile, trying to conceal the fact that he too was tired. "Are you guys all packed?" He asked, covering up a yawn. Five heads nodded. "All right then, while we wait for the Iwa shinobi to arrive, I'll just go over the details of the mission again. It's rather simple, just escort them there, play nicely and enjoy the scenery, then return back home. Other than the fact that it's a long six week mission, there isn't anything that could go extremely wrong unless one of us ends up killing one of our clients."

Tenten frowned at this. "You don't have to worry sensei. You'd have me unconscious and bound if I even looked at them the wrong way." Itachi grinned, eyes glinting in the early morning sunlight as if to say 'You got that right!'

The group fell into silence for a few minutes before two shinobi dressed in the dark grey and brown uniforms that identified them as Iwa chuunin came around the corner. Itachi stepped forward and nodded to them before they began conversing in hushed whispers. The five genin took the time to study the people they would be escorting.

The female ninja, who looked to be the elder of the two, had long brown hair that was pulled up behind her head in a tight ponytail. Her uniform was tighter on her than most, revealing her extremely thin frame that consisted of nothing but muscle and bone. The most intriguing thing about her were the plated gloves that she wore, each of them fitted with strips of metal that looked as though they could flip up at any moment.

The male shinobi seemed to be the male equivalent of the other. He too was thin, though he looked as though he had a larger percentage of muscles than the woman. He had short black hair that did nothing to hide the black eye-patch covering his left eye, nor the scar running into his hairline. His outfit was more grey than brown, but at least it fitted him properly. He carried a large zanbato on his back that was almost as tall as he was.

Seeing the two shinobi that they were supposed to be protecting, the five genin couldn't help but stare at their apparent lack of strength. Lee was just about to open his mouth and say something when Itachi turned around and rejoined them, the two Iwa shinobi following him.

"These two are our clients, and they are going to be with us for the next two weeks." he began, "So, I thought introductions would be a good idea. This is my team, Uzumaki Naruto, Iwagate Tenten, Kindaro Liu, Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee." He said, pointing to each of them in turn.

The female shinobi nodded, before pointing to herself. "I'm Komatsu Karuya, and this is my brother, Henzeru. It's a pleasure to meet you."

:0:0:

The first week of the mission was going incredibly slowly, with Itachi being the only one to talk to members of both Hidden Villages. It seemed that there was an unspoken agreement between the genin and chuunin that they would just stay away from each other, and things had been going fine up until the seventh morning.

Naruto, never one to sleep late while on missions, was up and about just as the sun came up over the horizon. Stretching as he crawled out of the tent he shared with Neji and Lee, he looked over at the rest of their camp. There was no movement in the girls' tent, and the flap of the tent Itachi shared with Komatsu Henzeru was still closed, so there was nothing too dangerous about.

The blond flopped down next to the remains of the fire, untying his hitae-ate from his arm and wrapping it around his head like a bandana, before he began poking the ash in an attempt to get the fire to relight. As the last of the glowing embers burnt out, he sighed before a sudden idea presented itself.

_Now, what were those seals again? _

Naruto's hands quickly flicked through a long series of seals before he drew in a deep breath and whispered "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu."

Unfortunately, he underestimated the amount of chakra he needed to guard his throat against the flames, and though he produced a small enough ball to relight the camp fire, the flames still in his throat caused him to cough, unintentionally setting fire to a small tree.

:0:0:

Komatsu Karuya woke to the smell of burning wood. Grabbing the nearest weapon, she raced out of her tent, followed by the two genin kunoichi she was sharing with. What they saw when emerged was not what they had expected.

The rest of the Konoha team all stared in shock as the single tree at the edge of their camp slowly burnt to the ground, none of them saying anything.

The two Iwa shinobi, however, took one look at the young genin in front of the fire and burst out laughing. Oh, yes. This trip was going to be very interesting.

:0:0:

After Naruto's little accident, things had been a lot more comfortable between the two groups. Naruto himself had apologised profusely for waking everyone up, which only served to send Karuya into another laughing fit.

She and her brother had been a lot more open to them after that, and the three kunoichi were often found talking about all sorts of things, shinobi related or not.

Henzeru, who was a little more reserved than his sister, had taken to sparring with Lee, who was eager to learn yet another taijutsu style.

This left Itachi to entertain Neji and Naruto, which more often than not led to the jounin retiring to his tent with a headache as soon as they set up camp.

The journey to Iwagakure seemed to pass quicker once they had gotten over their differences. Itachi took great pleasure in forcing his students to listen as he and the two chuunin lectured them about the history of Tsuchi no Kuni, and it's relationships with Konoha and the Fire Country.

On the tenth day of trekking through forest, Karuya announced that they had come to the border of Earth Country. The four genin stared at the landscape before them with wide eyes.

"Komatsu-san?" Naruto began, "This is Earth Country?"

Karuya nodded. "Not what you expected is it, Uzumaki-san?"

The blonde gestured to the flat, grassy plains at the edge of the forest. "Well, I thought there would be a few more mountains." He said.

Henzeru laughed and pointed to the large mountain range in the distance. "That's Tsuchi's only mountain range, Yochi Sangaku. It's also the place we're heading for."

Tenten turned to look at him. "You mean Iwa is a mountain range?"

He shook his head. "No, but you'll see when we get there."

:0:0:

It took them three days to trudge across the barren landscape, and the five Konoha genin who had grown up surrounded by forest, spent five minutes fawning over one of the small pine trees that grew at the base of the mountains.

Now that they were closer to them, the Yochi Sangaku were enormous, towering at least a kilometre above them. The highest peak was almost twice the size of the rest of the mountains, and it was towards it that Karuya guided them.

As they drew nearer, the forest around them grew denser, until it was impossible to see the sun. The loss of light didn't seem to affect the two Iwa nins, nor did it affect Itachi, who had activated his Sharingan in order to see.

After ten minutes of walking through darkness, they came to the base of the mountain, where a small camp had been set up around a large fire. On the other side of the camp, set into the mountain was a huge, stone archway that was blocked up by boulders.

Upon entering the camp, Henzeru nodded to Karuya before heading over to one of the tents nearby.

"Where is Komatsu-kun going?" Lee asked. Karuya smiled.

"Henzeru is just catching up with an old friend." She said, before leading the group through the camp. When they came to a stop in front of the archway, Tenten frowned.

"What use is an archway if it's blocked up?"

"It's a genjutsu." Tenten turned to face Itachi. "Most Hidden Villages have a genjutsu of sorts to protect the village from unwelcome eyes."

"So, does that mean Konoha has one too?" Asked Liu, studying the rocks blocking up the archway.

Itachi nodded. "Konoha just appears to be an extremely boring patch of forest if I'm not mistaken. I've only ever seen the genjutsu once before. Iwa, however, appears to be hidden behind this tunnel, correct?"

Naruto and the other genins frowned. "Tunnel? Where?" He turned back to the rock face, tapping it slightly with his hand.

"The genjutsu here is very complex." A voice spoke up. The group of six turned to see Henzeru, now carrying a small bag across his shoulders. He smiled. "Not only does it hide the entrance to our village, it also hides the level of chakra produced by the shinobi populace inside. It could take years to learn a jutsu capable of hiding such a large chakra source."

Liu fixed her gaze on the archway for a few more moments, an awed look in her eyes, before she turned to Itachi. "Ano, Itachi-sensei? Do you know any powerful genjutsu? They sound really useful."

Itachi patted her on the head, a slight smirk gracing his lips. "I know a few, but none that you'd be capable of right now. Maybe I could teach you a few less complicated ones while we're on holiday here, ne?"

Liu beamed. "Thanks, sensei!"

Karuya, who had been in the process of a long sequence of hand seals, spoke up. "You might want to step back a little, Uchiha-san, Kindaro-chan." The two stepped back just as she finished the last seal. "Kai."

Nothing happened for a moment, before there was a loud rumble. The rocks blocking up the archway began to move, rolling away from the entrance and revealing a long tunnel.

Itachi rolled his eyes and sighed. "Isn't that a little much, Komatsu-san?"

Karuya laughed. "Tsuchikage-sama finds it hilarious, so he keeps it active."

The five genin shared a quick look before they shook their heads. Henzeru saw this and smiled. "Karuya, I think we should let our friends do what they came here for. Besides, Tsuchikage-sama is waiting for us."

* * *

**AN:** Done at last. I quite like this chapter. The story is _finally_ moving along. Hopefully the next chapter will be easier to write. Study leave is coming up soon, so I'll have time to write in between revision for my exams. I'm terribly sorry this is so late, but I've been ill on and off for the past few months, as well as revising for my upcoming exams. Once they're all done with, I'll start picking up this story again. Oh, and a free pass to Ichiraku's for whoever gets Itachi's comment at the end.

Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu - Fire Style: Fireball Technique


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Karuya and Henzeru led the team of Konoha shinobi into the long, dark tunnel that separated Iwa from the rest of Earth Country. As they walked, Neji in particular couldn't help but notice the runes carved on the walls of the tunnel. With his Byakugan activated, he could make out the symbols for death, victory and defeat among them.

Itachi saw him looking and smiled. "I should imagine that they are Iwa's last defence." He said. Henzeru nodded from his position at the front of the group. "If an enemy somehow managed to break through the genjutsu, then the carvings and chakra engraved in these walls would prevent them from going any further. At least, until a suitable team has been put together to dispatch of them."

After that, the five genin took more care in looking where they were going, especially after Lee almost stepped on an engraved stone marked "stone trap". Five minutes of walking later, (Henzeru had advised them not to run) and they had still not come to the end of the tunnel.

When the floor beneath them began to slope slightly, Karuya spoke up. "This tunnel is the only way to get to Iwa from the outside of Tsuchi no Kuni. As you might have noticed, we're going up hill now. That's because the tunnel leads us up and around in a large loop through the outer ring of the mountain."

Naruto frowned. "We're going around inside the mountain?"

She nodded. "We didn't tell you before, but I can't see any harm in it now. Iwa, just like all hidden villages, consists of a ninja population and a civilian population. It just so happens that our civilian population is about the same size and the entire population of Konoha put together."

Five pairs of eyes widened comically. "Really? Wow, that's amazing!"

Itachi, while also shocked, began thinking. "Let me guess. The reason Iwa is situated inside this mountain is because the ninja population isn't big enough to protect all the civilians without some form of defence. And, naturally, hiding away inside a mountain that nobody can get into is going to almost guarantee you complete immunity from the outside world."

Karuya blinked, and then coughed slightly. "How did you guess?"

Itachi smiled. "I wasn't an ANBU captain by thirteen for nothing. Besides," he added in a whisper. "It helps that your Tsuchikage was forced to give a few details on these defences during the peace treaty signing."

:0:0:

Nothing could have prepared the Konoha shinobi for the sight that was waiting fro them at the end of the tunnel. Even Itachi and Karuya's descriptions didn't do the place any justice.

The entire mountain was hollow on the inside, and the peak was missing, like that of a volcano. Iwa itself was situated in the middle of the vast expanse before them, surrounded by farmland that thrived on the warm climate inside the mountain. The village was twice as large as Konoha, with hundreds of houses and apartment blocks.

As Henzeru continued to lead them down into the farmland below, he pointed out several areas. "Here in Iwa we have three main training areas for shinobi." He pointed to the far left side of the mountain, where a large waterfall was cascading down from a crack in the stone. "Over there is our first training ground. You'll probably want to spend most of your time there. The onsen, thankfully, is right next door.

"The other training areas are only open to Iwa shinobi, so you'll have to find somebody willing to take you with them. If you find either of us during your stay, we'll be only happy to go with you."

With that, he led them closer to the village itself. Liu had been the first to notice the slight change in one of their companions, and had moved to walk beside her. Tenten's hands were clenched in fists at her sides, her left hand bunched in the black fabric of her trousers. As they got closer, the other genin noticed too.

Naruto, who had always chosen actions over words, grabbed one of Tenten's hands and began dragging her in front of the group, pointing at different things and shouting loudly. Neji, Lee and Liu shared an amused look before Lee bounded after their blonde haired companion, shouting equally as loud.

Karuya and Henzeru, who had been used to the five genin being relatively quiet, shot shocked looks at Itachi, who merely laughed. Tenten's anger had completely subsided, and he gently let his fingers relax from the one handed seal they had been in.

:0:0:

When they passed through the gates of the village, the six Konoha nin couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the city. Neji was sorely tempted to activate his Byakugan to get a better look at everything, but Itachi's warning repeated itself in his mind.

Naruto was also grateful for Itachi's talk before they left Konoha. He had tied his bandana earlier that morning, and was immediately thankful that he had. Many people that they passed muttered things about 'ungrateful Konoha ninja coming to boast about their victory', and it seemed impossible for them to walk more than five feet without being glared at. However, there were just as many people greeting them with smiles and friendly waves, saying that 'it was about time the Hokage accepted Kyousuke-sama's friendship.'

"Kyousuke-sama?" asked Lee.

"Kyousuke-sama is our Tsuchikage. He doesn't really mind the people calling him by his first name." Karuya explained.

Henzeru continued to lead them through the streets of Iwa, taking many different turnings until the five genin no longer knew which way they had come from. The only thing they knew was that they were heading for the tallest building in the village: a ten-story building otherwise known as the Tsuchikage's tower.

The closer they got to it, the larger the building became. By the time they were standing in front of the large double doors at its base, they had to lean backwards to be able to see where the building ended.

The inside of the building was just as impressive as the outside. True to the name of the village, the walls were all made of thick rock. The corridors that lead them up through the administration offices towards the Tsuchikage's office were full of twists and turns. Naruto realised that even if he hadn't got lost while walking through the village, he would certainly be now. The building itself was the perfect trap for the would-be spy or assassin.

A short while later, Henzeru stopped them in front of a large set of red doors. Surprisingly, it was rather plain, except for the golden symbol carved into the wood; as expected for the Tsuchikage's door, the symbol was that of Earth.

Only a few seconds after he knocked on the doors, an answering call came from within. The eight shinobi unconsciously straightened their outfits before Henzeru pushed the heavy doors open.

The Tsuchikage's office was surprisingly plain, with only a desk and a chair set towards one side of the room. On the wall opposite the main door was a large tapestry, with symbols and pictures embroidered into it. The Tsuchikage had been examining it when the group entered, and he turned to face them as the door closed.

Kyousuke certainly wasn't what the group from Konoha had expected.

Unlike their own Hokage, the Rokudaime Tsuchikage was still a young man, at most thirty years old. His dark brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail that fell past his shoulders, and settled on the white cloak that he wore over his uniform. Just like the rest of Iwa's shinobi populace, he wore an outfit of brown and grey, almost identical in style to Itachi's jounin uniform.

When he saw them, he broke out into a smile that softened his slightly hard but still handsome features. "Karuya, Henzeru. It's good to have you back." The two shinobi stepped forward and bowed slightly. Kyousuke laughed. "I see you made it back in one piece, too!"

Karuya straightened and smiled. "Uchiha-san and his team did a good job. It was a bonus that they were wonderful company."

Kyousuke switched his attention to them for a second before he spoke again. "How fortunate." He yawned slightly, before blushing. "I'm terribly sorry. I only just finished yesterday's paperwork, and I'm already exhausted."

Henzeru smiled. "I'll make the formal bit a little easier for you, Kyousuke-sama." He held out a small scroll. "The mission report, and a letter from the Hokage."

Kyousuke blinked, and then took the scroll with a smile. "I should have expected this from you, Henzeru. Well, there's no sense in me keeping you any longer. You two are free to go."

Karuya and Henzeru bowed once more before leaving, waving goodbye to the six Konoha ninja as they left. Kyousuke gave the scroll a quick scan before he threw it into a drawer, hopping onto his desk a second later.

"I'm glad that the mission went well. I know that the Komatsu siblings can be quite the handful." He said. "Especially Henzeru. But then again, he _is_ my nephew."

Neji frowned. "You're Komatsu-san's uncle? They must be proud to be related to someone like you."

Kyousuke smiled. "Yes, Henzeru is proud. But you misunderstood. I'm only Henzeru's uncle. He wasn't born a Komatsu."

"He was adopted?"

"Yes. My brother couldn't take care of him, and we were still at war at the time. The only choice was to put him up for adoption."

The room was silent for a while, before Kyousuke clapped his hands together. "Well, that was slightly depressing. Why don't you introduce yourselves? I'd like to know just who it was that took care of my nephew."

Itachi stepped forward. "I'm Uchiha Itachi, and this is my genin team." Kyousuke's eyebrows rose at his name. "Uzumaki Naruto, Rock Lee, Kindaro Liu, Hyuuga Neji and Iwagate Tenten."

If possible, Kyousuke's eyebrows rose even further, almost disappearing into his hairline. "Iwagate? My, it's been a while since I've heard that name."

Tenten, who had been quiet since entering the office, glared at him. "I don't suppose you remember all the names of the families you've had assassinated."

Kyousuke frowned. "Assassinated?" He stood up and began pacing. "So, that's how it happened."

Tenten's glare intensified. "Of course that's how it happened. You authorised it. I heard the shinobi say that you did just before he killed my parents!" She said, voice rising towards the end.

Neji made a move to stop her, but Itachi held up a hand. Kyousuke turned to face her.

"He said that I had authorised it?" He growled slightly. "I should have known Rouri would do something like that. And to family, too."

Tenten paused. "To family?" She said slowly.

Massaging the bridge of his nose, Kyousuke nodded. "Rouri has despised me ever since I became Tsuchikage. He's Henzeru's father, and my older brother. He's Maroda's brother, too."

Tenten paled and her hands began shaking. "M-maroda?"

Kyousuke nodded, his brown eyes taking on a slightly nostalgic glint. "Dotonga Maroda. She was a formidable shinobi, one of Iwa's most respected kunoichi, before she decided to settle down. Fuusaki was a wonderful man, and she wanted nothing more than to join him in the village where he grew up. I understand that she was very happy there." He smiled sadly as a tear fell from the corner of Tenten's eye. "You should be proud of her. She was a great person, your mother."

* * *

**AN:** Woo! Ten chapters! I'm quite proud of this fic. Terribly sorry that it's taken this long to update. Things have been completely hectic, but I'm finally back on track. This fic is nowhere near stopping at the moment, so you can look forward to quite a lot more chapters. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You made me realise how little time I was spending on this story. I just came back from a 3 week holiday, and I managed to get quite a bit of writing in, so you can look forward to a few updates pretty soon. 

Rokudaime - Sixth


	11. Chapter 11

CHAP 11

"Kaasan." Tenten whispered, her voice shaking slightly. "Then, that makes you my uncle?" She said, looking up.

Kyousuke met her gaze with a slight smile, before he bowed his head. "If I had known what my brother was up to, I would have stopped him sooner. I am sorry."

Tenten was silent for a moment before she threw herself at him and began crying.

"Hakufu!"

Kyousuke was obviously shocked, but he recovered quickly and returned the hug in an attempt to calm her down.

The rest of Team 3 watched in confusion and awe as the scene unfolded. When Kyousuke busied himself with comforting his niece, Naruto turned to Itachi. "So," He began. "Tenten's uncle is the Tsuchikage."

Liu hit him across the head. "Baka. That's what Kyousuke-sama just said."

Naruto laughed nervously. "I know. I was just checking to see that everyone heard the same thing. Could have been dreaming, right?"

Itachi smiled. "I understand what you mean, Naruto-kun. It certainly _was_ a shock. Hokage-sama will be extremely excited to hear this."

Lee frowned. "Why's that?"

The black haired jounin didn't have the time to answer, as Neji beat him to it. "Because a connection to the Tsuchikage like this will do a lot of good when it comes to repairing the relationship between Konoha and Iwa. It might seem a little insensitive, using Tenten's family like this, but first and foremost, 'a Hokage's duty is to protect the village.'" He looked up at Itachi and smirked. "Am I right?"

He laughed. "Some days, I don't even know why I bother."

:0:0:

It was an unspoken agreement between the genin that they would let Tenten spend time alone with her uncle. Although, as the Tsuchikage, he was often busy, he always found time to spend with her, even though most of the time it was making her help him with the paperwork.

The other genin spent most of their time sparring in the training grounds dotted around Iwa. True to his word, Henzeru had been happy to let them into the other two training grounds, and they were often found sparring with the other Iwa shinobi.

On the fifth morning, Tenten joined them in the spar. Kyousuke was busy with his duties and had suggested that they all visit and stay for dinner later on.

Naruto, in particular, was interested in what Kyousuke did as Tsuchikage.

"All he does, really," Tenten began, "Is filling in paperwork all day. It ranges from filling out state documents to signing pay checks to authorising and classifying missions. The missions are what he looks forward to mainly, as there are a few really interesting ones that sometimes crop up."

The others listened to her as they made their way towards the tower later that evening.

"If he's not doing paperwork, then he'll be in the mission room, which is similar to our one by the way, handing out the missions. Occasionally, if he's lucky, he'll finish his work early and get some free time to spend in the village."

"Doesn't he ever get time to train?" Naruto questioned, bouncing up and down as he walked backward in front of the group.

Tenten frowned. "I didn't ask, but I don't think so. I'd imagine he just has to rely on his morning and evening exercises to keep him in shape. Why are you so interested anyway?"

"Because one day, I'm gonna be the Hokage!"

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Hokage? That's a long way to go."

Naruto nodded. "Yup. That's why I'm gonna work extra hard from now on."

"Well, I'm rooting for you." Liu said with a smile. "Just don't spend too long shouting declarations in the middle of Iwa. If you do, we'll have a horde of angry shinobi on our tail. And then I'll never get to taste some of Kyousuke-sama's delicious onigiri…"

Lee turned to Neji. "I always knew she had an unhealthy obsession with rice."

:0:0:

As they neared the Dotonga residence, the surrounding buildings began to thin out. Situated on the outskirts of the village, and almost as physically far away from the Tsuchikage's tower as possible, Kyousuke insisted that he used the long trek to work every day as extra exercise.

After meeting up with Itachi, Kyousuke and the Komatsu siblings outside the tower, Kyousuke then led them to his house, or rather, his mansion.

The building itself had three stories, and as Kyousuke showed them, six or seven rooms on each floor. The garden mainly consisted of a section of the surrounding forest that was fenced off from the rest, with a large koi pond and a wooden veranda lining the back wall of the house. Luckily for the visiting shinobi, the dining room was one of the back rooms, and Kyousuke kept the screen doors open to show what he said was his favourite view of the garden.

As they started on the first dishes, Kyousuke asked them about their lives so far as genin.

"Itachi-sensei's a great sensei." Liu began. "He made sure that we all could work well together before we started on missions. The teamwork helped a lot with some of the more boring missions."

Lee nodded. "We used to make games out of them, and use them as extra training." Kyousuke raised an eyebrow. "Like, a shopping mission would involve a game of catch with the items. The point was to see how long we could keep them in the air."

Neji smiled slightly, even as he let out a sigh. "What they forget to mention is the number of times we dropped items. We had to take on one extra mission per item as punishment."

At that, Lee laughed sheepishly and ran a hand through his hair. "Hehe, I remember. Like that time we had to repaint all the houses on the east side of the village because we broke almost a hundred eggs."

Naruto laughed. "Ah, that was fun!"

There was silence for a moment before all five genin began to laugh. Kyousuke turned to Itachi and asked, "Are they always like this?"

Itachi smiled. Karuya and Henzeru, who sat either side of him, sighed. All three replied, "You have no idea."

Just as they were starting to calm down, there was a knock on the door and a chuunin stepped into the room.

"Kyousuke-sama." He said with a bow. "The border patrol has a report concerning Uragirimono-san."

At this, Kyousuke stiffened. Henzeru and Karuya also stopped what they were doing, and sent quick glances at the newcomer.

After a few seconds, Kyousuke nodded, and he led the chuunin outside, closing the screen doors behind him.

Itachi turned to the Komatsu siblings. "I assume that this 'Uragirimono-san' would be Kyousuke-sama's brother."

Henzeru nodded. Across the table, Neji snatched the chopsticks from Tenten's hand. "'Uragirimono' was the name given to Rouri by the shinobi populace a few years ago. It comes from the number of times he's tried to remove Kyousuke-sama from his position."

As he finished speaking, the screen doors opened again and Kyousuke returned to his seat. He noticed that the mood had turned serious and sighed.

"I see that you've been filled in." Several heads nodded. Kyousuke sighed again. "Since technically your mission isn't over yet, I guess you should all be informed of what's going on."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

"Rouri is going to attempt another coup d'état."

Karuya frowned, sending Henzeru a glance. In return, he nodded. Her frown hardened as she turned back to Kyousuke and spoke. "I take it that this time is different, Kyousuke-sama." She said. "You've never felt the need to inform anyone below ANBU before."

Kyousuke sighed and nodded. "This time, things are slightly different. Rouri plans to divert the attention of all our shinobi to a different spot while he and his elite team head for their main target, unhindered."

Tenten spoke up. "Just _what_ exactly is he planning to use as a diversion?" Her hands were clenched in her lap and her jaw was set tightly.

Kyousuke stood up and began pacing. After a few steps, he turned to face them and answered.

"He plans to go to war with Iwa."

:0:0:

From his position on the rooftop, Lee kept a close eye on the streets below. His chuunin partner on the roof opposite was also on alert, looking for any sign of the enemy shinobi. Strapped to the two black belts crossing his new, red t-shirt, were two large shuriken. Karuya had given them to him a few days before, and Lee was counting on them to help him in the upcoming battles.

As if on cue, the first wave of enemy shinobi came running down the street. Lee forced himself to concentrate, before launching several well-aimed kunai.

:0:0:

_There was silence in the room as Kyousuke finished._

"_W-war?!" choked Karuya. "Wh-? How?"_

"_The border patrols have reported increased activity around what is now Rouri's hideout. Yesterday, they caught and interrogated one of his subordinates." He explained. "Apparently, he's been gathering followers steadily for the past few years, hence why we haven't heard much from him."_

_Kyousuke resumed his pacing, his hands playing with a kunai he had drawn from a pocket. "His followers are mostly missing nin, looking for a home. It seems he has offered them amnesty and status as Iwa shinobi after he becomes Tsuchikage."_

_At this, Karuya and Henzeru looked outraged, but Kyousuke ignored them._

"_He also has several followers inside the village. The prisoner indicated that it was no more than twenty, so they shouldn't be too much of a distraction. The main problem is Rouri's diversional attack."_

_Once again, he stopped pacing. "Henzeru, I want you to report this to the main ANBU office. They should already know about it, but this will just confirm what they need to do. After that, head to the mission office and inform them. They should be able to spread the word to rest of the shinobi."_

_Henzeru nodded and quickly left the room. Kyousuke turned to Karuya._

"_The evacuation of the civilians is up to you. Enlist the help of the academy teachers. They're used to running drills with the children. The ten of you should be able to get everyone into the underground caverns by midnight tomorrow."_

_Karuya nodded gravely, before she too left._

:0:0:

Tenten dodged a punch to her head, hands flying through familiar seals even as she jumped back. She took a deep breath, before calling out, "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu."

Several of the rebel nins in front of her were burned instantly, but she had no time to react as more replacement shinobi burst from the flames. As a kunai suddenly slashed through the fabric of her shirt, she was glad she had replaced the shorter top with a long one. The blade had narrowly missed her stomach, and she didn't want to know what would have happened if the fabric hadn't been there.

Metal clashed against metal. And out of the corner of her eye, she watched as the six Iwa shinobi in her group engaged with the enemy.

A fellow genin, no more than a year older than her, was pushing her way through the fallen rebel nins. Tenten's resolve hardened, and she jumped back into the fray. This was her uncle's home, and the people were his family. She wasn't going to let Rouri get away with taking someone else's loved ones, too.

:0:0:

_Kyousuke turned to the Konoha shinobi. "I'm sorry that this has cut into your time here. Rouri plans to attack tomorrow at midnight, so I suggest you leave before that."_

"_I'm staying to fight." Surprisingly, it wasn't Tenten who shouted, but Naruto. "Our mission required us to spend _two_ weeks in Iwa. If we returned to Konoha now, Hokage-ojiji would be annoyed that we didn't try to help you. Besides," He let a small grin slip onto his face as he glanced at his team mates. "I think my team would agree that we all want to help you anyway."_

_Kyousuke looked at their determined faces before turning to Itachi._

"_Are you okay with this?" He asked._

_Itachi studied each of his students carefully before he nodded. Kyousuke sighed._

"_Alright then. Let's see. Each of you will be assigned a team…"_

:0:0:

Liu watched with slight repulsion as a rebel nin dropped dead in front of her. She already knew when she chose to become a shinobi, that she would eventually be expected to kill.

'_But that was _eventually._ Not so soon!'_

Suddenly, several more rebel nins surrounded her. She was grateful for the leather plated shirt she now wore, as she narrowly dodged a kunai. Her faltering determination returned full-force, and she lashed out with a kunai of her own, catching two of them in the neck. The other four fell against a huge zanbato.

Liu turned in time to see Henzeru swipe his sword through three more shinobi. He nodded once.

"Keep up the good work."

Liu smiled grimly. "It was them or me." She replied as he continued to cut his way through the enemy.

'_It was them or me.'_

:0:0:

Neji watched through his Byakugan as a group of three rebel nins patrolled the corridor behind the main door. The map in his hands showed that their patrol would bring them past the door again in five minutes.

He sighed. _'That means five minutes to get in without being noticed.'_

He looked to either side, watching as his team mates nodded. As one, they all slid down the hill and began running towards the door.

'_Itachi-sensei. I hope you know what you're doing.'_

:0:0:

_Team 3 stood with the rest of Iwa's shinobi as they gathered in the Tsuchikage's office. They had all been split into teams, a mix of shinobi from genin to ANBU in each._

_Kyousuke stood in front of his desk, one hand running through his hair. He brought out a kunai and began twirling it in what was his thinking pose._

"_You've been summoned here today because of a recent discovery: Dotonga Rouri is planning another coup d'état."_

_There were several gasps among the younger shinobi._

"_The reason you are all here is because Rouri plans to use a full-scale war as a 'distraction'. The blunt of his forces will attack Iwa, while he and his elite forces will head after their main target once we have weakened."_

_He took a deep breath and sighed._

"_You have been assigned groups according to skill, so that each group balances out equally. Each group has been assigned an area of the city to patrol, with at least one other team patrolling at the same time._

"_The information we have suggests that the rebel forces plan to commence their attack at midnight tomorrow. Therefore, you have until this time tomorrow to prepare yourself."_

_Kyousuke was quiet for a moment as he surveyed each team._

"_Orders are to be taken from the ANBU members of your team. What they say goes, and you are to take their word as mine. Now, rest up and prepare yourselves. Dismissed."_

_As each group filed out of the room, Kyousuke turned to the only shinobi not assigned to a team._

"_Uchiha-san, may I have a word?"_

_Itachi nodded and stepped away from the wall._

"_I'm sorry to have to do this, after all the things your team has done for me, but I have another mission I'd like you to take on."_

_Itachi raised an eyebrow._

"_I'm already paying your team for helping in the war, alongside the pay they'll receive for escorting the Komatsus." He explained. "This mission, however, is different. I have to ask you to agree to it before I give you any details."_

_Itachi frowned. "Can I at least know what rank it is? It has to be something pretty high for you to come to an outsider shinobi instead of one of your own."_

_Kyousuke sighed and pulled out his chair before falling into it ungracefully. "Depending on what happens, my guess is about S-Rank."_

_Something lit in Itachi's eyes. "Whatever your reasons, Kyousuke-sama, I'll do best to reward your trust in me."_

_Kyousuke relaxed visibly. He pulled out a thick folder and slid it across his desk. "This folder contains detailed reports of the location and layout of Rouri's hideout, as well as descriptions of the rouge nins we believe to be part of his 'elite' forces."_

_Itachi flicked through a few pages and nodded._

"_Your mission is to eliminate Dotonga Rouri and as many of his elite forces as possible, before they commence their attack."_

* * *

**AN:** Gah! Ok, this took way longer than expected to type up. I start school again tomorrow, which means I'll soon have an excuse to be on the computer. Thankyou to everyone who reviewed, I really appreaciate them. Oh, I've also made some changes to chapter seven. I really didn't like part of it. 

Kaasan/Okaasan - Mother

Hakufu - Uncle

Uragirimono - traitor

Ojiji - Old man


End file.
